OUTSTED

06.17.13

Afghan Women Lose Political Power

Parliament removed requirement for number of women in government positions.

In a quiet change that happened in mid-May, conservative male members of Afghanistan's Parliament removed a legal ruling requiring women to make up at least a quarter of all provincial elected officials. This decision, along with other recent ones, continues to undermine women’s rights in Afghanistan. Female members of Parliament just found out about the change a few weeks ago—and the action has disturbed women’s activists, who believe the modification could also affect the number of women in Parliament’s upper house. Women have entered the country's political scene in force only since 2001, after the overthrow of the Taliban regime.